


Kiss Promotion

by pocketsizedtitan



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Canon - Manga, M/M, Post auction raid, Slow Build, rated F for Floof
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-07
Updated: 2015-10-12
Packaged: 2018-04-19 15:15:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4751051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pocketsizedtitan/pseuds/pocketsizedtitan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They receive comfort in each other: It starts with a hug, a touch, the mutual need to not feel alone. It starts with falling asleep together, fingers entwined. And then there’s a kiss on the cheek. One. Two. More and more until Urie can’t live without them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Rank: Comfort

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on my [tumblr](http://tangyo.co.vu/post/128526905390/kiss-promotion-1-rank-comfort).

> _“It’s painful… being alone. It’s agonizing.”_

Mutsuki ducked as a bread roll went sailing overhead, squeaking as said bread roll smashed into the side of Urie’s face instead.

“S-Sorry, Uri–”

“Aha! Got’cha,” Shirazu cheered, but his celebration was cut short when Urie retaliated with a butter knife. Which would have killed Shirazu had it not missed, zooming on by until it clattered against the wall. “You missed!”

“(Intentionally, idiot),” Urie muttered.

Saiko’s plate was empty, having already had seconds, and was now engrossed in her Nintendo DS. She turned her head to Sasaki, who was sitting at the head of the table, looking like his patience was about to snap, “Sassan, can I go to my room now?”

“Wash your plate first.”

“Aw, okay.”

Except tonight was her lucky night. Shirazu took her clean plate and used it as a Frisbee. Urie lunged out of his chair, intercepting it and flinging it right back.

Sasaki’s grip on his fork tightened. “You guys…”

Shirazu was standing on his chair now, “Go long, Urie!”

“Uh-oh,” Mutsuki mumbled, nibbling on a broccoli. This was  _not_ going to end well.

“ _You guys!”_

Urie went long. Shirazu braced one foot on the edge of the table and flung the plate with all his might (Saiko had done the smart thing and ran off before Sasaki could make her do any other dishes). It sailed through the dining room and across the living room, Urie keeping his eyes focused on the flying disc as he ran sideways, not quite paying attention to what was ahead of him until it was too late.

He collided into the couch with an  _oomph_ ; toppling over the edge as the plate shattered against the wall with a loud crash.

Once the last piece of ceramic hit the ground, silence settled.

The silence was short-lived as Shirazu’s chair slipped out from beneath him and he tumbled painfully onto the floor.

Urie’s head popped up from behind the couch. “That’s what you get.”

Mutsuki would have laughed but there was murder in Sasaki’s eyes. Instead, he sighed and finished his food, knowing that training tomorrow was going to suck.

And yet, despite knowing how much tomorrow was going to suck for everyone - Sasaki believed in group punishment (”It builds teamwork!”) - Mutsuki found he didn’t mind so much. He didn’t mind when Shirazu and Urie had their moments that usually meant the whole squad being punished. He didn’t mind when Shirazu complained after dinner about getting stuck doing the dishes with Urie (he complained enough for the both of them). He didn’t mind when their dish washing got interrupted because Shirazu blew bubbles at Urie and then Urie smacked Shirazu and there was a wet floor involved and some slipping and more breaking and Sasaki swearing and– well, you got the picture.

Mutsuki loved moments like these.

He loved walking to his room and seeing Saiko laying on her bed, tablet in one hand and DS in the other. He loved seeing her stop playing to make a tweet, giggling out loud as she did (” _Shirazu and Urie in trouble again HAHA”_ ). 

He loved getting into his room and hearing Sasaki yell at Shirazu and Urie to stop messing around. He loved the soft mumbles of Sasaki from his room as he made phone calls. He loved hearing the running water from the kitchen, the clanking of dishes as the others put away plates and silverware and cups.

He loved the sound of Shirazu talking to Urie as they passed down the hall, Urie muttering something in response that Mutsuki couldn’t make out from his room.

He loved slipping into warm sweats and an over sized T-shirt as Shirazu’s and Urie’s doors closed and they fumbled around in their rooms.

He loved it all.

But then the silence settled. The darkness crept in. And Mutsuki felt alone in his bed.

He didn’t love that part.

* * *

Mutsuki knew he should probably go back to his room and try to force himself to sleep. If he kept his eyes closed long enough, he was bound to pass out.

But after three hours of tossing and turning, he gave up.

But that didn’t explain why he was standing in front of Urie’s door. Urie was probably sleeping by now, and if Mutsuki disturbed him, he’d probably just piss Urie off.

And yet he still stood there, bare feet cold against wooden floors, wondering why he was there to begin with.

Maybe he’d watch some quiet TV in the living room until he got tired. That sounded like a good idea, and he would have done that, would have finally walked away, but then Urie’s door creaked open and Mutsuki muffled a squeak as Urie peered at him through the darkness.

“…Couldn’t sleep?”

Even in the dark, Mutsuki could see the tiredness in Urie’s eyes. Whether it was from lack of sleep himself, or because Mutsuki had disturbed him, he wasn’t sure.

Mutsuki shook his head. 

Much to his surprise, Urie stepped aside and opened the door a little wider.  _Come in_ , he was saying in his own, quiet way. It made Mutsuki smile, a small, shy one as warmth trickled from his head to his toes, relieved that he wasn’t going to be abandoned there in the hall. Relieved that he wasn’t going to be forced to sit alone on the living room couch, or go back into his room and toss and turn fruitlessly all night. 

The door closed behind them with barely a sound.

The covers on Urie’s bed remained unused and still tucked. The only signs that Urie had been on there were the creases and dents, along with his music player and earphones strewn over the pillow. 

“D-Did I wake you?” Mutsuki asked, voice quiet as not to wake anyone else up. He gripped one arm, his earlier relief turning into uncertainty. What was he supposed to do now that he was here in Urie’s room?

“No. (I couldn’t sleep either).”

Urie’s desktop hummed. It was still on, but the monitor was dark, the green power light bright. His room was clean as always; hardly any decoration, if none at all. Just the necessities plus his desktop, his own TV and entertainment set, gaming consoles, et cetera. Urie loved technology.

Mutsuki looked everywhere but at his squadmate sitting on his bed, knowing full well that Urie was still staring at him with that same, peering look when he first opened his door. Like he was waiting for Mutsuki, like he was trying to understand Mutsuki.

“So,” Mutsuki swallowed. He licked his lips, fingers falling until they were clutching the bottom of his shirt. He nodded at Urie’s music player. “What were you listening to?”

_Please don’t regret me being here. Please don’t make me go_ , he wanted to say.

Urie’s gaze switched to his music player. For a moment he stared at it, contemplated, thinking, considering. He picked up one of the ear pieces and blinked slowly at Mutsuki. “You can listen.”

_Stay_ , Mutsuki thought Urie said.

Relief. 

He shuffled over and sat next to Urie, taking the earpiece extended to him. “Thanks, uh–” This close, for some reason, when Mutsuki lifted his eyes he had an even harder time meeting Urie’s gaze. He fumbled over his words, already forgetting what he wanted to say.

But there wasn’t anything scary about Urie’s face. All of his earlier timidity and uncertainty faded away as they both put an earpiece in. The hours he spent trying to fall asleep, trying to ignore the creeping darkness and the agonizing loneliness - all of it faded away as Urie sifted through his music player, turned on a song, and glanced at Mutsuki as if wondering,  _Is this okay?_

Mutsuki smiled. 

Yeah, this was okay.


	2. Rank: Invader

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Urie's delusional.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally published on [tumblr](http://tangyo.co.vu/post/129532901910/kiss-promotion-2-rank-invader)! My goal is to update every Sunday :').

Urie’s room was his oasis. His  _personal_ oasis. As in, if anyone was ever crossing the desert, dehydrated and dying, and they happened to stumble upon Urie’s oasis, they’d have better luck turning around and crossing the desert than getting water and shade from Urie.

Especially if your name was Sasaki Haise or Shirazu Ginshi.

No Sasaki Haise’s or Shirazu Ginshi’s were allowed in Urie Kuki’s Personal Oasis™.

Saiko was usually in her own room, and Mutsuki knew better than to invade someone’s space, so Urie didn’t have a thing to worry about from them.

Or so Urie thought. Because really, why would Urie be worried about  _Mutsuki Tooru_  - irrelevant, hypocritical Mutsuki Tooru? He was hardly a threat to anyone; always following Sasaki around like his loyal dog. Too gullible, too nice to bother other people, let alone invade Urie’s room.

It’s always the least suspicious people that you had to suspect the most.

But none of that explained why, when Urie found Mutsuki standing in front of his room last week, eyes big and afraid and hopeful, Urie hadn’t turned him away.

He chalked it up to tiredness. Mutsuki caught him at a, er,  _vulnerable_ time. He was half awake after all, barely conscious to make rational decisions. And so, Urie had let someone other than himself into his personal oasis.

“Something wrong?” The Invader of Urie’s Room and the Object of Urie’s Annoyance and Confusion asked, innocent and clueless of Urie’s inner turmoil.

“(You’re what’s wrong).”

“It’s just that you have a very intense look on your face right now.”

“It’s nothing.” Urie dipped his hand into the bag of chips that sat between him and Mutsuki. He snapped a cool ranch dorito in half with his teeth.

“Oh oka–  _Yes!”_

Urie had been so distracted that Mutsuki used it to his advantage to pull into first in Mario Kart. That sneaky little–.

“2-0,” Mutsuki smiled as his Yoshi celebrated their victory. 

“(Beginner’s luck).”

Everything about Mutsuki’s existence offended Urie. How nice he was. How loyal he was to Sasaki. How he never played Mario Kart before so of course Urie had to pull the game out so he could school him. How he used Urie’s distraction to beat him in such a childish game. How sneaky he was because –

“Another round?” Mutsuki asked with a subtle sweetness to his words, like he wasn’t a nuisance to Urie or that he hadn’t just taken one of Urie’s doritos without permission.

– because somehow he got into Urie’s room again and Urie hadn’t kicked him out yet and really, Urie was going to show him just how much better at video games he was than Mutsuki.

**4-1: Mutsuki Tooru.**

“It’s just beginner’s luck,” Mutsuki assured, visible eye crinkled with silent laughter. 

“(Obviously. As if you could actually beat me at my games).”

Mutsuki crawled forward (the two of them were sitting on Urie’s bedroom floor, close to his entertainment set and TV), a DVD having caught his eye. He plucked it out from between the collection of other DVDs (everything neatly aligned and in alphabetical order). “Oh, I’ve always wanted to see  _Guardians of the Galaxy_.” 

What Urie meant to say was: “Don’t touch my stuff.”

What Urie actually said: “I was going to watch that exact movie. You can put it on for me.”

“Um, sure, I can do that.” Mutsuki turned to the DVD player, fingers fumbling to open up the case, bottom lip tucked between teeth as he considered said DVD player. He mumbled something incoherent, disc in hand and empty case in the other before he turned a helpless gaze to Urie. “….I don’t know how to use this.”

If Urie was anyone else, he would have gawked. “(How the hell do you not know how to use a DVD player? Did you not grow up in this day and age?) What?”

“I mean, I know how to put the disc in the player, obviously,” Mutsuki said hastily, cheeks flushed, “but other than that… Like how to change the TV setting and…” he trailed off, feeling awkward and embarrassed beneath Urie’s blank stare, “…yeah.”

Urie sighed. There was no helping it, he supposed. “Come here.”

And so, Urie showed him how to use the DVD player; how to change the input in the television so the screen changed and the movie popped up; showing how Mutsuki could change it on either the player or on the remote, and to also turn off the gaming console since they weren’t using it anymore. There was some hand brushing involved. It couldn’t be helped. And they sat pretty close to each other as well. That couldn’t be helped, either.

For Mutsuki’s efforts, Urie allowed him to stay and watch the movie. Since it couldn’t be helped and all that.

It was easier to let him stay and watch the movie anyway. This way, Urie could avoid any future problems of Mutsuki possibly complaining about  _not_ being allowed to watch the movie. Urie just didn’t want to have to deal with a whining Mutsuki. Not that Mutsuki whined. Ever. But  _just in case_. It was better to cover all of his bases.

He also allowed Mutsuki to help him finish the bag of doritos. It was going to expire soon and Urie couldn’t finish it all on his own.

During the movie, Urie sat on his bed while Mutsuki stayed on the floor, his back against the mattress.

And no, Urie didn’t spend the whole movie glancing down at Mutsuki, nor was he distracted by the looseness of Mutsuki’s shirt and how he could see the curve of collarbone. Nor was he tracing the outline of Mutsuki’s nose and the nape of his neck with his eyes.

He just happened to glance by and notice all of those things.

It was better to know every detail of your Invader. Easier to pinpoint weaknesses in case they tried to go full-out Conqueror on you. 

One part of Urie was telling him to remain cautious around this particular Invader, but the other part was telling him there wasn’t anything to be cautious about; not when the Invader of his oasis was a herbivore. 

**Invader’s Threat Level: Nonexistent.**

Satisfied with that conclusion, he watched the rest of the movie.

* * *

Urie blinked awake around 0300, the glow of the TV waking him up. It took him a moment to remember he had been watching a movie, but couldn’t recall seeing the end. Must have fallen asleep…

And apparently so did Mutsuki, because he was sleeping on Urie’s floor, curled on his side, ignorant to the fact that he was sleeping in the wrong room.

“Tch.”

What was he supposed to do now?

Wake up Mutsuki? Kick Mutsuki out? Throw him out? That would be noisy and Sasaki would wake up, and the absolutely last thing Urie wanted to do was see that godawful face at 0300 in the morning.

Urie supposed he could just carry the guy back to his room, but that required effort he wasn’t willing to extend.

It was easier to take the throw blanket from the foot of his bed, dump it over Mutsuki, turn the TV off with the remote, bury his face into the pillow and fall back asleep.

In the morning, he’d remind Mutsuki not to go falling asleep in other people’s rooms. But for now…

Urie drifted off to the quiet breaths of his little Invader. 


	3. Touch

Shirazu squinted into the refrigerator. It was hard to see anything beyond the glaring light (you know that feeling, right? After staring at the dark for so long, and then suddenly having light in your eyes… Yeah, that feeling).

He grabbed a water bobble and zombie shuffled his way back to his room. There was a dream he kept trying to recall, something about Urie telling Shirazu what an  _amazing_ squad leader he was, but like all good dreams, it refused to stick. So instead, he pretended that’s exactly how his dream had gone.

It was better than the alternative of Dream Urie telling Shirazu what an amazing  _fuck up_ he was.

Which was probably what Real Urie would say.

But this was Shirazu’s dream. And sometimes, dreams could become reality if you hoped hard enough and there wasn’t a sudden human-shaped-and-sized roadblock preventing you from going to your room.

A quiet “Eep” followed the collision. It sounded strangely like Mutsuki.

“Huh.” Shirazu rubbed his tired eyes. “Mutsuki? You’re the roadblock?”

“What?”

“Never mind. What’re you doing?”

“I wasn’t going into Urie’s room.”

“O-kay.”

“What’re you doing still up, Shirazu?”

“I woke up. Was thirsty.” He yawned. “And now, I’m gonna go back to sleep and show that damn Urie how awesomesauce I am.”

“Uh, okay. Goodnight.”

“Night.”

If Shirazu was a little more awake, he’d probably wonder why Mutsuki continued to just stand in the hallway looking awkward. Maybe he’d pester Mutsuki a bit more and try to get a real answer out of him, but Shirazu couldn’t be bothered. He had something to prove to Dream Urie.

(But the rest of that night, Shirazu had nightmares of Urie-turned-ghoul slow roasting him over a fire.)

* * *

“Um, I’m sorry for bugging you.”

Mutsuki locked his hands behind his back, suddenly feeling shy despite the fact that he (lightly) knocked on Urie’s door in the middle of the night. So far, Urie neither invited him into his room or told him to go away, so that was a good sign.

But he also wasn’t saying anything; opting to stand there and stare at Mutsuki.

“I just wanted to apologize for falling asleep in your room the other night,” Mutsuki continued in a whisper, mindful of the fact that the other squad members were sleeping nearby. “We got so busy with that investigation so I couldn’t apologize sooner, so… Yeah. Anyway, I won’t let it happen again!”

“(Good.)”

“But you know you’re a real nice guy. I mean, you could have just woken me up and kicked me out but you just let me sleep there. Thanks, Urie.”

“(….)”

“Well, we have another long day tomorrow. So I’m going to get some rest. You should, too! Goodnight, Urie!”

Urie never experienced a hurricane before. But he had a strange suspicion it felt something like Mutsuki showing up at his door in the middle of the night, saying a few quick words, and then hurrying off with that usual bright and stupid smile of his while Urie wondered what the point of his visit was.

What was the point of Mutsuki coming over to say something in the middle of the night if he hadn’t come with the intention of invading Urie’s room again? To “hang out,” as Mutsuki often claimed.

Not that Urie wanted him to. He just wondered, was all.

Oh well. At least tonight would be peaceful. Just him, his headphones, and his music.

* * *

“Man, what if we had ghouls  _and_ man-eating giants? We’d be so fucked.”

“(Still watching that stupid show?) ‘What ifs’ are irrelevant. What matters is reality.”

“Aw have some imagination, Urie,” Shirazu said with a playful shove. That Urie returned a little more forcefully. 

And then it blew out of proportion until Sasaki cleared his throat.

“ _Focus_. We have a ghoul to catch.”

That always made Urie focus. “Dead or alive?”

“Hm,” Sasaki pulled up the mission report on his tablet. It was a new thing the CCG was implementing; trying to incorporate technology more into the workplace and all that, “Either. But please be wary. As you know, this ghoul will be able to see you coming from any direction. Make sure to keep an  _eye_ on each other. Ha ha. Get it? Because the ghoul’s got more than two eyes– ah never mind. You know the plan.”

They split into teams: Saiko and Sasaki in one team, Urie and Mutsuki in another. They’d drive the All Seeing Ghoul to Shirazu, who will block off the ghoul’s only route of escape and either capture or kill said ghoul.

Haise had this idea of building up Shirazu to further develop his squad leader skills. Or whatever skills he had. 

Whatever, Urie thought. So long as he got the final hit in that brought that ghoul dow–.

Something warm pressed against his triceps. Fingers. They barely touched him, and it was only for a few seconds - Urie counted three - but that feeling. That warmth. It lingered through the material of his coat and shirt.

“Let’s all go home okay, Urie?” Mutsuki said, looking up at Urie with that ridiculous smile of his.

Not that Urie ever thought about a mission going wrong and not coming out alive. He didn’t worry about things like that. Worrying left room for error. It removed your focus from the goal.

But to others like Mutsuki, he supposed they’d worry about inconsequential things such as mission failures and dying. 

“(As if a low-ranked ghoul could touch me.)”

His heart raced. He hadn’t realized he was thrilled for the hunt, having been calm earlier throughout the day. But now adrenaline pumped in his veins, fingers itching to use his kagune, muscles tensing as a small fire spread inside of him.

Gone were the days when Mutsuki looked meek before a mission; when worry used to furrow his brows. Despite the possibility of death, he gripped his daggers, brows creased with single minded determination: to complete the mission. “Ready?”

Something inside of Urie responded to Mutsuki. Like that itch from earlier to use his kagune. Except it felt more like a hum, a stir. Excited. Anticipatory. Impatient.

They hunted.

* * *

Other than Shirazu getting a black eye, the mission went well. No surprise there, Urie thought. 

Worrying about missions was pointless. But he could see how fleeting those worries were towards people like Mutsuki who was now laughing over something Sasaki said; fears from earlier gone.

He didn’t understand people sometimes. How they could jump from one emotion and to another, sometimes faster than someone could possibly process. Rationality was what drove Urie (and promotions and killing ghouls, of course). 

Fact: He was strong. Low rank ghouls could never hurt him.

Fact: This mission had a 96.8% chance of success. The ghoul’s territory had been scouted, along with its abilities, daily patterns, abnormalities, et cetera. And so, taking into account all of that, they devised a plan and saw that plan through.

Fact: Shirazu was an idiot. That didn’t have to do with anything, but facts were facts.

The Quinx Squad needed at least  _one_ rational team member. Someone who was always thinking and calculating every logical, every rational outcome. And if their mentor couldn’t do that, then Urie had to.

And logically speaking, Urie understood that there wasn’t a lot of room in the backseat, but what didn’t make sense was Saiko calling shotgun and leaving Urie squeezed in the back, Shirazu in the middle, and Mutsuki on the other side.

“Can you not sit so close to me,” Urie muttered.

“There’s not a lot of space, okay?!”

“(At least stop breathing my air.)”

“What was tha– hey!”

Urie pushed him away. Not that there was much of anywhere for Shirazu to go, except to squish into Mutsuki, who was sandwiched helplessly against the car. “Guys…”

Five minutes later, Mutsuki found himself in the middle instead. This always seemed to happen to him when it came to Urie and Shirazu.

Sasaki smiled as he continued to drive, suddenly feeling more at peace. Shirazu stared sourly out the car window. Saiko found a pop station to listen to over the radio. Mutsuki sighed and Urie wondered if it always felt like this:

If usually when they sat in the car, if there was ever no space between his and Mutsuki’s shoulders and arms and thighs. Or if this car was just smaller than the normal ones the CCG lent out. Or if this was just the first time Urie realized it felt warm sitting like this next to Mutsuki. That it felt warm where their bodies touched.

Urie took comfort in the fact that it wasn’t Shirazu touching him.


End file.
